My name has been immortalized in the writings of David Kusumoto! And
in blue type!! Furthermore, he states that I wrote "humorously/
brilliantly" in a recent post! If I work hard at my posts, I really
feel that I could be the next Tom Martin.
As for the question of what I would save if I had 10 minutes to
evacuate, I would grab my dogs and all my photos/negatives that I
could find. Then, If I had time, I'd grab two boxes of lobby cards
and folded posters. If I lost all my posters, it would be a bummer
but not the end of the world.
I've had experience losing a poster, because my best piece was stolen
long ago. I had an original theatre poster for Ed Wood's "Casual
Company." I only owned it briefly when I sent it away to be
encapsulated. The company that did the encapsulating sent it back to
me via UPS, and UPS left it on my doorstep. It was promptly stolen,
probably by hooligans who know nothing about posters. I assume they
dumped it in the trash. For quite a while I was deeply disturbed by
the fact that this poster had been destroyed while under my
stewardship. I thought I would quit poster collecting entirely, but I
eventually got over it.
-rk
On Jun 7, 2008, at 5:53 PM, David Kusumoto wrote:
** What Bruce says about reporters is TRUE. I was a reporter
before I became an editor, and learned quickly that we had to SELL
a pre-formed THESIS to our bosses before we could get a green light
to chase anything. Only the "sexiest angles" that our bosses felt
would interest readers, viewers or listeners won. Two of the
biggest reasons I got out of the news business was the competitive
chase for ratings -- as manifested -- beginning in the 1970s -- by
1) the growing influence of slanted and biased "info-tainment"
buried in "news stories" and 2) the "glamorization" of news
personalities. People who have seen the Will Ferrell parody,
"Anchorman" know what I'm talking about (ironically, set here in
San Diego).
--------
** Today, the idea allowing an "unattractive" news person on TV in
any major city is UNTHINKABLE. However, what has NOT changed – is
the way stories are selected and packaged by editors. Today I work
on the other side of the fence. I deal with reporters as part of
my job. Most writers have a pre-formed idea of where they want to
go. If you accuse them of having an "agenda," they get pissed and
you've just sunk yourself in your effort to establish a semblance
of "goodwill."
** In about 50% of my cases, I am successful steering the news
train in a slightly different direction instead of being dragged
behind it. The most successful PR shills are ex-news people (like
myself) -- who are able to find SEXIER angles which can trump a
reporter's pre-formed thesis. It enables a reporter to "switch
horses" without being humiliated. My other tactic is to poke so
many editorial holes into a thesis -- in a friendly way so I don't
sound defensive – casting enough doubt to undermine a reporter's
confidence. Reporters have no time. They're always under the
gun. If you do some leg work for them, they'll shift gears more
readily. This is what my clients expect me to do, even though I
make no guarantees. A reporter's biggest fear is going back to
their editors with nothing – and being blacklisted as an empty suit
or dress.
--------
** I haven't written anything that's been published in years. But
I'll give you a vivid example that involves Bruce. Nearly ten
years ago, when I was a contributor to MCW, I decided to explore
his operations, attitudes and reputation. I ended up writing an
article that was clearly labeled "opinion" and combined it with an
auction results story that ran nearly 6,000 words and filled many
pages with text and photographs. My attitude going in wasn't
fixed; remember, back then, I'd already put in 13 years as a shill
at a major corporation, well after my days as a writer and editor
in the 70s and 80s. But I confess, I did have some pre-conceived
ideas about what I'd write and tackle when it came to movie
posters. Once word got out, the number of people who came out of
the WOODWORK to praise or to bury Bruce was UNBELIEVABLE. He was
WAY more polarizing 10 years ago than he is today.
** People would call or write, declaring, "Dave, how can you not
know that Bruce is a so-and-so and has done this or that?" I had
others saying the opposite and others who, when it came to brass
tacks, would concede their "proof" was a formulation of hunches or
"as told to third- and fourth-party testimonials" which would never
pass any litmus test for publication. They had axes to grind but
would not come clean about them for public consumption. Well, as
people who've read my postings at MoPo since the 1990s know, when I
have an axe to grind against a person, I declare it first. I make
no effort to be a "journalist." I spout opinions in the same
childish way Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly do every day at each
other.
** Meanwhile, people at Christie's and others in New York and Los
Angeles and elsewhere agreed to be interviewed more readily than
others. Even better, they faxed documents buttressing their
claims. This makes an immediate positive impression to even "self-
righteous and crusading" editors. If they didn't prove Bruce was
truthful – they at least illustrated a fearlessness that demanded
respect. When I warned the "guys with the long knives," that damn
it, "my neck is on the line if I write this or that without
attribution" -- in the end, they would not "face the music" in
equal measure. I implored them to be equally fearless with their
so-called "proof." But most folded like a house of cards. My
point -- very FEW will go on the record when it matters most when
dealing with controversy. You can slant a story all you want (just
read the NY Times vs. the Washington Post, the latter in my view, a
superior paper) -- but the foundation of all articles, however spun
or misleading by omission -- is still based on facts.
--------
** In sum, on the story I wrote about Bruce – I came away thinking,
s***, it turned out to be like any other story I've written in the
past. I'm dealing with a lot of people who carry a lot of grudges
-- grudges that will become meaningless when they're at death's
door. I've been threatened by lawyers many times since the 1970s.
Knock on formica, they've never followed through. It's not worth
it because truth is the best defense against an accusation of libel
(published) or slander (spoken). And in the case of libel -- a
plaintiff in the U.S. must prove he or she is NOT a public figure
open to parody -- AND that any falsehood about them was delivered
with "malice." The laws are different in other countries but the
simplest way to put it (and demonstrates why democracies are
magnificent) -- is you can make fun of public figures like the
President or anyone in office -- while in other countries,
ridiculing leaders in theocracies or communist countries or even in
"democratic" countries like Russia or Mexico – you can get killed
or your hands will be sawed off or "taken out" in some way. When I
was in China in 1997, it was incredible the number of people who
would talk to me in "whispers" when I asked them about their
government. I've said it before, but I believe indigenous people
born in democracies take for granted what they have. They really do.
** As a coda -- the greatest irony about that epic article I wrote
about Bruce in 1998 -- was nobody -- including Bruce himself --
liked the way it was "shaping" in their minds BEFORE publication.
When it was finally published, many felt it was a "hatchet job" or
a "kiss-ass" piece. With such divergent reactions, I knew I'd done
OK. I'm no longer a journalist and I have no interest writing any
articles about the auction world. Most people who matter to me
today -- already know how I feel about them. I no longer have to
be "neutral." It's liberating. For example, even if I don't
comment about a poster seller in public -- even if I might hate his
or her personality or politics -- I regard the mere action of
transacting business or communicating with that seller in private –
by phone or by e-mail -- as my personal endorsement of their
character or the way they do business. You already know who you
are, even if you don't like my friends. But many lurkers tell me
the reason they remain lurkers at MoPo is because they fear getting
pounded by "all the old people" who've been on these boards for
years. I confess, I never want to be regarded as that mean person
who's close minded and unfair. Call me long-winded, fine, and I
won't change my mind about a lot of s***, but I never want to be
the reason some lurkers remain lurkers. As Roger Kim wrote
humorously/brilliantly in a recent public post about procuring
Universal horror paper, "I congratulate myself." In this case, I
do so for trying my best to be consistently fair.
-kuz.
------------------------
Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2008 07:38:36 -0500
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Hershenson story goes viral
To: [email protected]
This story was funny. As most people who have ever been interviewed
know (and I have done 100+ such interviews over the years) many
reporters (David excluded, of course!) often have a thesis for
their article firmly in place before they start interviewing, and
then they look for quotes to fit that thesis, and discard anything
that doesn't fit!
This particular reporter wanted a story about online auctions
dying, and I tried to say that it is only eBay auctions that are
dying, and not for any reason other than eBay shooting itself in
the foot, and she didn't want that story, and I learned a long time
ago there is no point fighting with the reporter!
It HAS spread all over the internet, and I have had hundreds of
calls and e-mails from potential new buyers and sellers, so maybe
some good will come out of it.
Funny sidenote. The print edition of Business Week comes out this
week, and they wanted a picture of me to run with the story. They
told me they had staff photographers who would take my picture, and
I told them I live in a tiny town, and would get them a picture
(from a pro photographer if they wanted) but instead they had two
of their photographers drive from St. Louis to West Plains (4 hours
each way!) and they spent four hours setting up their equipment and
taking a zillion images of me, all for some tiny image of me that
may or may not appear in print (and since I have a face that was
made for radio, I have a feeling I won't make the final cut!).
Someday, there will be a good story about online collectibles
auctions (and maybe showing the good and bad and the ugly about
them) and maybe David K will write it, but that will have to wait
for another day!
Bruce
On Wed, Jun 4, 2008 at 3:04 PM, David Kusumoto
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
The 1,200-word analysis by Catherine Holahan featuring quotes by
Bruce -- that originated in Business Week magazine in New York
yesterday -- has gone super viral today.
Beyond the Yahoo News reference previously cited by Channing, the
story has been picked up by many papers and websites, including USA
Today and CNet, with some using headlines or leads -- declaring
eBay auctions, according to a Business Week analysis -- are
"doomed." The original Holahan story is at the link below as a
user-friendly PDF.
http://tinyurl.com/46mucq
...But a Google News search of "Hershenson" cites nearly 50
"related" stories on the web today....
-d.
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